Parks, Wilderness and Marine Sanctuaries

A blue line with a row of blue dots marks land run by a federal agency. Near Salinas, you can see Pinnacles National Park and the Ventana Wilderness. A note on the chart margin covers these areas. Landing there is prohibited without the agency's permission. The note lists a few exceptions, such as an emergency. All aircraft are requested to stay at least 2,000 feet above the surface of these areas.

The surface is the highest terrain within 2,000 feet of your route, or the rim of a canyon or valley. East of Pinnacles, a blue notice adds more. California condors regularly fly here, and pilots are asked to keep 3,000 feet of terrain clearance. A condor can weigh 25 pounds, with wings nine and a half feet across. They are most often found below 3,000 feet AGL.

Offshore, Monterey Bay is a National Marine Sanctuary. A magenta dotted line marks its designated areas. One designated area arcs five miles around Moss Landing. Another runs along the Big Sur coast, south from the Carmel River. Here the note is stronger. Flight below 1,000 feet AGL over these areas violates NOAA regulations.

To sum up, 2,000 feet over parks and wilderness and 3,000 feet for condors over Pinnacles and Ventana are requests. 1,000 feet over the sanctuary zones is a regulation.